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Kosher for Passover: New Rules and New Recipes

In late 2015, The Rabbinical Assembly, a body of Conservative rabbis, reformed a 700-something-year-old ruling about Passover dietary restrictions. The holiday forbids Jews who keep kosher for Passover from eating leavened bread for seven to eight days (to commemorate their rushed departure from bondage in Egypt). That restriction extended to kitniyot—Hebrew for legumes, and foods like chickpeas, rice, beans, edamame, and corn. Now they are allowed, according to this new, somewhat controversial edict.

For Sephardi (Mediterranean) Jews whose rabbinical interpretation of Passover food has always included these foods, not much has changed. For non-Orthodox Ashkenazi (Central and Eastern European) Jews, it’s a whole other matzoh ball. Permitting these previously off-the-table foods allows for some exciting new culinary additions to the Passover seder table.

Eminent Jewish cookbook author and culinary historian Joan Nathan’s new book King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World includes recipes that speak to the relaxing of the law. French-trained Paula Shoyer's The New Passover Menu includes a recipe for Peruvian roast chicken with salsa verde. She serves it with quinoa at seders. And Israeli blogger and author of Persian Kitchen, Rottem Lieberson, who trained at the French Culinary Institute in NYC, is making gundi, a fragrant, Persian chickpea dumpling for her chicken soup.

This Passover (which starts Monday), along with your great–aunt’s gelatinous gefilte fish, why not give these recipes a try as well?

Rice has been a staple in the Middle East ever since it came from China through Persia thousands of years ago. This recipe uses the Latin American technique of browning the rice first. The crunchy, nutty bottom, called a’hata, is similar to the crispy Iranian rice, and is always fought over in Lebanese and Iranian homes. I have added saffron to make this like the Jewish pilav that traveled from medieval Persia to southern France, where today it is considered a traditional French dish.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan that is at least 3 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter.

Add the rice and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring, just to toast. Then add the salt, saffron or tumeric, and 51⁄2 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, then cover. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer very, very slowly for an hour. Raise the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 5 to 10 minutes, just to toast the bottom.

Remove the cover, put a knife around the bottom, then place a serving platter on top. Carefully flip the rice onto the platter and serve. The golden crust will be on top.

Prepare the gondi: Grate the onions and place with their juices in a large bowl. Add the ground chicken, gram flour, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, salt, pepper, and oil and mix well until all the ingredients are incorporated. Gradually add the water while continuously kneading the mixture. It should be light and airy but thick enough to form dumplings. If the mixture is too dry add water and if it is too runny add more gram flour. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight.

Prepare the soup: Place the chicken wings, turkey necks, water, onions, parsley and turmeric in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 40 minutes. Season with salt, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Strain the soup to a clear broth, then return to the saucepan along with the onions. Add the cooked chickpeas and bring to a second boil.

Wet your hands with cold water and form the dough to round dumplings the size of a tennis ball. If using, form the date paste into balls the size of a walnut.

Using your thumb, make a hole in each dumpling and place a ball of date paste in each hole. Push the mixture back over the stuffing and roll again to completely cover the stuffing.

Carefully slide the gondi dumplings into the broth and bring to a gentle simmer, making sure not to turn or touch the gondi. Reduce the heat and cook for 45 minutes.

Ladle the broth into soup bowls and place a gondi in each bowl. Serve alongside white steamed rice and a plate of fresh herbs.

Place the chicken pieces in a large roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over the chicken and rub to coat. Shake the spice mixture onto the chicken and rub all over.

Place the garlic cloves in a small bowl and add the remaining 2 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Scatter the garlic cloves and drizzle the oil over the chicken pieces. Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until well browned and the juices run clear.

To make the salsa verde, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or just until they soften. Add the jalapeño halves, cut side down, and cook for 1 minute. Turn over and cook for another 4 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the jalapeños are fork-tender.

Let cool for 20 minutes. Place the jalapeño mixture in a food processor, add the cilantro leaves, water, and salt, and process until pureed and smooth. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Serve the chicken on a platter and the salsa verde in a bowl alongside.